Who is qualified?

Who is qualified to apply?

Typically, applicants must have (or expect to have) a degree equivalent to the MSc in Physics (e.g. a "Laurea" etc.) including a Master's Thesis in order to be acceptable for doctoral studies at the University of Heidelberg.

Exceptional applicants can be accepted for PhD studies with a BSc degree only in the so-called 4+4 PhD program. However, a number of conditions may be imposed by the Department - such as e.g. attending certain lectures or the delivery of a research report after the first year. Information about the 4+4 PhD program could be found here.

Heidelberg University requires a "very good" final grade comparable to a grade of 2.0 or better in the German grading scheme (equivalent to B+ or better in the US lettergrade system).

Heidelberg University also requires a sufficiently deep & broad physics education during the undergraduate studies. Please, check the webpage of the Department concerning formal pre-requisites for PhD studies in physics and astronomy.

Most of the applicants do not have a MSc degree already at the time of the application deadline. We encourage applications in particular if the university degree is awarded after the deadline for applications. However, the final degree must have been awarded before the start of the PhD studies (see above the policy concerning BSc degrees).

In exceptional cases, applicants who do not have a full MSc thesis can be accepted if they can demonstrate their ability to carry out independent research otherwise, for example by first-authorship in refereed publications.

IMPRS-HD does not require a test of English language proficiency. We prefer to check communication skills during the interviews. However, for international applicants whose mother-tongue is not English or German it could be beneficial for the application to provide some proof of language proficiency.